All In All
by Random Thought Girl
Summary: What if Demer, Katniss and Peeta' s daughter, just turned sixteen and she is reaped for the games? What if one of her parents are forced by the Capitol to go in as an assassin to kill one of the other tribes that are also a Victor's child? Will Demer blame herself when her long time boyfriend is chosen? How will the two of them work together when only one can return?
1. Chapter 1

**This idea is not all mine, I give the credit to HGFan 4719 who allowed me to write it for them.**

**I don't own The Hunger Games as always.**

I look around me and see nothing but a desolate winter plain, then just past that, grey mountains that shoot up out of the ground, covered in icy peaks. How is this remotely possible? We were all sweating on the ride to the arena and now it's beyond freezing. The snow reflects the sunlight into my eyes causing them to water and I have to close them so that I can see again. When I open them again I see the countdown clock at the top of the cornucopia, it shines a dull grey against the blinding light of the snow the clock at the top reads 45 and counting down. _On__ly 45 seconds before I have to fight for my life. I should just jump off this platform right here, then I won't have to suffer under the hands of another person. I'd die as myself, I won't be corrupted._

I remember back to the tapes of my parents' games I watched in order to mentally prepare myself for this and then to how my father had told me about the conversation on the roof. I didn't understand at the time but now, everything is brought to a new light. How he didn't want these games to change him and neither do I. I want to die as myself.

I shuffle my feet, captured in giant boots that I'm sure I would be thankful for, if I were to live long enough to make use of them, until they're at the edge of the plate then glance back up. 10 seconds remaining. It's now or never.

I lean forward several times trying to just gather the courage to jump off the plate so that I'll be blown to bits and die sooner rather than later but the strength never comes to me and I remain cemented to my plate as the gong sounds. There goes plan A, I think to myself as I jump down, grab the bag closest to me and sprint as quickly as I can through the snow to a small dip at the base of a mountain.

_How many mountains are there?_ I ask myself before diving to get away from a spear one of the other tributes threw at me. I wrench it out of the snow and continue my sprint in the other direction of the Cornucopia as I was directed. My feet slow as I begin to tire from attempting to run through the thick layer of snow that coats the ground in a near flawless blanket. Fat flakes continue to fall slowly to the ground, catching in my hair causing what was once dark brown to be speckled with white.

There is a wind brought from somewhere that whips my hair around my face causing me to stumble on some large object under the snow. There's no saying what it is, it could be a rock, tree branch, or in a very sadistic form of showmanship, a frozen corpse.

I shake the thought from my head and push the hair from my eyes so I can see where I'm going. When I look down I see that there is a person laying at my feet, not just any person but one I know very well, Finn. He looks fine just as though he lost his balance and fell.

"I wouldn't suggest laying there." I call out over the wind hoping to be heard above it. His body relaxes and I stare at him as he rolls over to face me. His face brightens as he grins up at me. We are all wearing the same, ultra thick white coat with shoes and pants to match. They really make blend in well, I almost couldn't even see Finn laying at my feet when I looked down. "Get up before I leave you, Finn." I say stepping over him. He hops right up and we're on our way to the base of the mountain.

When he stands he's a good foot taller than me. His mop of bronze hair falls over his eyes and a bush of the same color coming off his chin. This is all understandable considering that he's at least fifteen years older than I am.

In a sick twist they eliminated the age limit but did determine that the tribes all had to be over the age of twelve. That made my brother ineligible for the reaping but since I'm sixteen I was not as fortunate. Evidently they only feel bad if they're sending in very small children.

At the base we find a large cavernous opening a few feet up. We climb in and I lay down on the floor before realizing there's stalagmites all over it. Several poke at my back and I'm forced to sit back up.

"I hope he's safe." I mutter mostly to myself but evidently Finn heard.

"Who?" He asks keeping his voice quiet as well.

"Keetan." I tell him simply. He lets out a grunt of acknowledgment and I turn to face the opening and grab my bag. Inside there's a small first aid kit, a sleeping bag, empty water bottle, and several knives, thank goodness I am good with one, my mom trained me in the three months we had to prepare. Luckily I was proficient in all the things she showed me.

"I can't believe that you only got a three. You seem like you're good at this. At least your parents would have trained you." Finn says it of the blue.

"Nope, I'm just not good at that type of thing. All I can do is distill water." I say glumly,playing along with the plan that Haymitch, my parents and I worked out. He turns back to his own bag, I didn't notice he had before, just as a cannon sounds, signaling the end of the bloodbath.

_Let the games begin._


	2. Chapter 2

_**And now it's time for chapter 2! Hope you like it! **_

My parents were petrified when they found out we were summoned to the 'new and improved' Capitol. Well my mom was, she tried hard to hide it but failed, I still hear her pained cries at night when she would wake up at night from a nightmare only to realize she was living one and my dad speaking softly that we would be okay. That they hadn't told us why we were there and at first I was confused, of course I had read about the games in school even watched my parents' first one, the 74th, and the next one, but nothing has prepared me for what they really were, what I have to deal with now.

Evidently Effie had gotten a message out to them shortly after the letter was sent to us, requiring us to come, as well as all of the other victors and their children, telling them that there was supposed to be another Hunger Games.

It wasn't until we arrived that I had really questioned the 'invitation' sent to us. I figured it was a dinner invitation, some sort of celebration, it was in the mid winter, around the time when the war that liberated the nation had ended over thirty years ago, so it only made sense to me that we'd have some sort of memorial dinner. My parents mentioned that they had these every year but this was going to be the first with the newly elected president.

I wasn't sure how to respond when he was elected, he did see a bit harsher than the previous ones but I had no clue he was going to do all of this. Force the children of those who had already suffered the same games, to compete like savages. Looking back now I feel sick to my stomach looking back now at how naïve I was then.

President Martins had sat us all down and told us this before the dinner. I didn't eat anything for two days after that, and I hardly ate until I got home. That's when my parents started to train me in everything they thought I would need to survive. The entire thing was horrible for them, in order for me to survive they'd have to train me to kill the others, or just get lucky. I don't really think I could kill any of them. I'm my father's child, with my mother's skills. I could kill animals but I could never do the same to a human.

* * *

We sit there in silence, each counting the cannons that announce the death of another person. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Fourteen people dead, their blood staining the snow red. I gaze at the place where they all died and see the gruesome scene laid out before me. I look to see if Keetan is among the fallen but I guess I won't know until tonight. Please stay safe, I don't want you to die because of me.

I just had to get involved in a relationship and this is what happens. My boyfriend of four years is fighting for his life, literally. Everything was so simple and now...

"Did you get any matches?" Finn asks breaking me out of my thoughts. I check my bag quickly to see if I do and pull out a small bag with a zipper on it. I toss it to him and he opens it with a smirk. "We got plenty of them now." He says pulling a similar one out of his bag. I look away glancing again out the cave opening, a drop of water lands on my head and I look up.

There are very small stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave. Duh, there are stalagmites there are bound to be stalactites as well. Water drips from the small tips of them and land on my face.

"Demer, does that person look familiar " Finn asks pointing to a small figure moving towards us from a distance. Honestly I can't tell. Between not knowing some of these people for more than the week of training and the coats that make us all look like snow balls. The only thing really visible is some short, light-colored hair.

"Can't really tell from this distance, let's just hope it's an ally." I whisper, hoping that by doing so it won't cause my voice to carry or echo out to them. I grab my spear, that I picked up after having it launched at me near the Cornucopia, and hold it tightly in my hand, readying myself in the event that this person is a foe. I gaze at the person as they slowly make their way towards the cave. I'm not sure if they see us or if they just want to get out of the rapidly falling snow, still I don't want to have to kill someone this early on in the games.

We simply stare at him as he slowly moves, I notice when he's about twenty or so yards away that I do know this person, it's Keetan. For a moment I consider running out to him but then I think better of it. _This isn't 12, it's not as safe as you used to think you were, _I chide myself, _stay hidden until he's closer._

"Is that him? Keetan I mean." Finn asks standing to look out the opening better.

"Yes." I tell him as the blob of blonde and white makes his way up the slight slope to the cave. The second he's in the cave I wrap him in an awkward hug, the gargantuan coats restricting us slightly. "Hey," I say pulling back, greeting him awkwardly.

"Hey, nice place here." He comments. Before noticing Finn behind me. "Hello," he says stiffly. Finn nods and we stand there awkwardly.

_**How'd you like it? Hope you enjoyed it! I already have the ending planned and I showed it to my friend and she loved/hated it lol. It'll be a while but we'll slowly process to the end together! Again hope you liked it! I hope you'll leave a review! **_


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't at all like I thought it would be. My parents nearly pushed me to my breaking point every day, sometimes I would actually dad would try to be stern and titles like my mother was, though I knew the entire time that she was only doing it for my own good. I often heard her and my dad talking about how much they really hated it, my mom cried into his arms whenever she thought of the reason why I had to train like a career, that's what they had told me the people from 1,2, and 4 were before the games were brought to an end and so was the war.

The second after we found out my parents cut all junk food out of my diet, not that I ate all that much in the first place, and made me eat more and more lean meat. They insisted that I bulk up but in a healthy way, if that even makes sense. All four of us began to train as a family, my dad with his prosthetic and my brother only being 11 usually lagged behind us whenever we ran. I had learned to climb trees when I was very young so she only educated me on how to pick the best trees to climb, educated me on all of the types of trees there are and how sturdy they are, which ones would produce the least smoke, and the wood that would make the best types of snares.

My dad would help me whenever we would do 'weight training' what I refer lifting heavy bags of flour and other supplies at the bakery, my parents did end up getting me a set of weights and a lifting bench a few weeks into training. At first everything was totally overwhelming but I learned to accept that and cope with this frightening reality that has become my life.

We would mix physical activities with the survival skills I'd need to learn for the different biomes, there really wasn't much more than some books on identifying plants for those biomes not near us. There was so much that I needed to learn before I went into that arena, and now I'm glad that I was taught everything by them, even though I still don't think that I'll make it through these games alive.

Those three months became very tense in our house. Between the constant training and the night terrors that would attack myself, my mother, my dad and even my brother on some nights even though he didn't know what was going on, but he still doesn't, and maybe that's for the best.

* * *

"You know how ironic this is, right?" Finn sighs. Looking at Keetan and me embracing. We both give him a funny look before he begins to elaborate. "Katniss and Peeta the 'Star-crossed lovers of district twelve' and then their daughter, you, are thrown into the games with your long-term boyfriend. Seems like some serious irony there." He shrugs closing the argument, leaving it there.

"I wonder if this is all just a coincidence..." Keetan thinks out loud. I look around the cave searching for the cameras I know are hidden all over the place, watching our every move.

Finn shakes his head and tells him quickly, "With the Capitol, there are no coincidences. The Gamemakers plan everything meticulously either them or the governmental system. Nothing is really left to chance anymore. They have to control everything in one way or another." We both stand there a bit shocked by the information bestowed upon us by this giant. Now that I think about it, there really haven't been any 'coincidences' when the Capitol is involved, not that I remember at least. Every move was calculated and countered accordingly.

"Okay, now onto things we can actually control... anyone know how we can get some water?" Finn announces after a few moments of terse silence. All three of us look at each other for a moment before I finally speak up.

"Well, from what I see we have two options. One, we can melt some of the snow over a fire, I've read that if you eat snow plain then it'll cause some sort of blisters which will not be good for surviving in here. Or we can go to the lower section of the cave." I tell them quickly. They both give me incredulous looks so I continue, "There is bound to be a reservoir down there, with all the water coming from these stalactites it's bound to accumulate to something down there..." I trail off losing what small amount of confidence I had when I began to speak.

"Wouldn't we need to start a fire to clean it? It'll have all of those minerals from the mountain which would be good in small amounts but not nearly as much as there will be there. Plus we don't know what all is down there..." Keetan pipes in.

"I don't think we'd have to, the human body has adapted to deal with that sort of thing over the years, we'd just have to find out a way to see down there." Finn adds in casting a glance over his shoulder in the direction of the dark cave which we can hear water dripping slowly throughout it.

"How are we even going to find wood for a fire? Food? I haven't seen much wood near here. There is some on top of the mountain and I would think there are some snowshoe hares around here somewhere. I got a spear and some knives so I guess we'll just have to get crafty with our trapping." I tell them flatly. They exchange looks and we all decide to talk strategy tomorrow morning, after setting up our watch for the night. I take the first shift and the other two lay down.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**It's been a while but I hope the longer chapter is worth it! I tired to extend the games part but I couldn't without revealing what I plan to in the future.**_

We spent every possible second getting ready for the games physically but I was still mentally unprepared when it came time for the reaping.

I was escorted to the roped off section right below a newly built stage with two bowls on either end, I knew what one contained but was hoping that beyond anything else my brother's name was not in the other. I had thought that they had entirely terminated the age rule, or lowered it just enough so that my 11 year old brother would have been thrown in, instead the male side was filled with around one hundred boys around my age. My eyes widen in fear as I see Keetan among the crowd. Rather than look at him or my family who stands directly against the dividing rope, that inch or so is the only barrier between us.

The boxed in area is small, perhaps only a few square feet, all I knew was that if I stretched out my arms I could touch the poles on the ends of it. I felt my mom and dad's hands land on each of my shoulder and squeeze as Effie took the stage.

I remembered the hop in her step from when she would visit the district, auntie Effie was always spoiling us with toys, but that day she seemed to be struggling with her emotions. Her eyes looked red and bloodshot, as if she had been crying, but her make up made it hard to tell. I had realize then that she would be anywhere from 50 to 80, either way she looked 20, the magic of the Capitol I suppose.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome. The time has come for the 76th Hunger Games. Now we have a film, all the way from the Capitol!" She had told us all as she looked pleadingly at me. She then turned towards a screen that showed our new President.

"Hello," his voice bellowed out. "In the past thirty years the districts have become increasingly restless without the Games. Many districts have begun to revolt because they feel that it is unfair that they continue to live in similar conditions from before the war, only now they know that they'll have just enough food to live another day, that must be stopped. Other districts have begun to demand that we resume the Hunger Games that we used to host every year, those in select districts demanded it be with the descendants of Victors.

For all but district 12 and 13 we have Victor's as residents and at least one of each, for those without we demand that the prior rule stating that one male and female between the ages of 12 to 18 will be reaped, for those with descendants they must be over the age of 12 and still be living. There is no age limit." He spoke right into the camera, those dead black eyes stared right into the lens. His dark face turned up into a sadistic smile.

"Okay, well wasn't that just fantastic?" Effie spoke with false cheer, everyone present could tell. "Well, as always, ladies first." She spoke into the microphone, voice catching slightly at the end of the short sentence.

She blatantly walked over towards the bowl on the left, where only one slip was sitting in the bowl, with my name written on it. Her smile faltered signficantly as she pulled it out and walked back over to the microphone.

"Demer Mellark." Even though I had understood what was going to happen before it did I was still in shock as my parents gave me a reassuring squeeze ushering me forwards. I walked grimly up to the stage and stood there stolidly, my gaze flickered upon the boys that one of which would soon join me, and waited in agony hoping beyond reasonable doubt that it would not be Keetan.

_There are a lot of people, the odds are in his favor._ Or so I though until Effie called out the one name I was dreading. "Keetan Carter."

* * *

After a while on watch duty, I gauged it to be about four to five hours, I became too tired to stay awake. My eyes would drift close every few seconds but I would dig my nails into my palm in order to stay awake and partially alert. After a while of this I broke down and woke Finn up. He grumbled something at first but then went to dutifully take watch.

"If you're strong appear weak, if you are weak appear strong. They just weren't strong enough." Those words echoed in my dreams through out the night.

In my dream Haymitch, my family, friends, and their friends stood over my body as I hovered above looking down onto the scene. There was blood all around my head, staining the snow a brilliant scarlet. I couldn't tell where my wound was, only that I was, in fact, dead. It wasn't so much of my dead body that frightened me, but of the male next to me. Keetan was laying there next to me, lips purple, not from the cold though, the snow under him had melted and displayed a lush green that I remember from my home in 12 he was wearing black pants and a thin, green shirt so that gives me even more reason to believe that he did not die in the arena. Finn was on my other side, skin tinted blue on his face and where it was revealed by large cuts in his coat, blood seeping from those as well. Everyone was crying and comforting each other. I noticed a little while later that Keetan's family was there, along with everyone from school. All of them mourning us in this icy waste land.

At first I believed it to be an omen but quickly figured out that it would be impossible, they wouldn't be in the arena, they would see me in one way or another when I was brought out by a hovercraft. That and Keetan was lying on fresh grass, it was lush and a rich green, that would not be present in this icy arena.

I come back to reality, it's getting brighter outside now and the sun is beginning to rise over the mountain peak. I see that Finn is asleep and Keetan is now on watch.

"Morning," I sigh as I move up to the mouth of the cave next to him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" He asks looking at me with a surprised look on his face.

"Nightmare, it wasn't obvious was it?" I ask hoping that mine aren't like my mother's. That I don't thrash about screaming until someone wakes me, or I wake myself.

"Not especially, you just sort of froze up, I heard some choking noises for a second and got really scared but I guess it was just your dream." He tells me resting his arms on his legs.

"We're going to need some water today, we can't wait too long. Dehydration doesn't take long." I say glumly.

"Who's going to get it? Or are all of us going?" Finn asks from behind us. I didn't even hear him wake up. I really need to start to pay better attention or it'll be the death of me. Literally. Keetan turns and talks to him for a moment as I come up with a plan for the day.

"I don't really like it but we should just send one person, the strongest of us, down in the cave to get it. I think I saw some brush we can use to make a torch out of not far from here yesterday. Finn you stay here and hold down the fort while Keetan and I go get that." I say using my best logic to draw out our plan.

"Just be quick." Is all he has to say to us as we walk cautiously out of the cave, weapons at the ready.

_**That's all for now! I'll work on this while I'm at school and I'll have something for one of my stories up in the next few days!**_


	5. Chapter 5

I stood as still as a statue starting at the crowd as Keetan slowly makes his way to the stage. Effie finished it up quickly and we were ushered into the separate rooms for our goodbyes. A few very close friends from school come and say goodbye for now, they said, because they believed that I could win this. If they thought that I would sacrifice Keetan to live then they were highly mistaken, I knew that the reaping was rigged. It was bound to be him. And it was all my fault.

My friends and I were practically ripped from each other's arms as the peacekeepers shoved me onto the train, alongside Keetan.

The train was more lavish than the ones I caught a glimpse of when I would say goodbye to Effie at the train station, and by the looks my parents wore on their faces it was the same one they had used for the games before.

My dad was the first to speak, saying, "Effie will show you to your rooms. You'll be sleeping there for the three days we'll be on the train. We'll have dinner in about two hours, so you have that time to get ready."

She lead us to my room first and then continued on to Keetan's from there. I took advantage of the small amount of time I had alone and got a shower before I changed and waited for dinner.

Not ten minutes after I was done with my preparations Effie emerged from the hallway and knocked on my still open door. She escorted Keetan and me to the dining car and soon thereafter we were done with our meal.  
"Let's head over to the T.V. car. We'll be needing to watch the recap." Effie trilled at us.

Begrudgingly we followed her lead, all five of us. Haymitch had had the grace to join us for dinner, that was not what surprised me, it was that he was fully sober for the first time in years. He no longer drank heavily, but continuously had a buzz.

The T.V. was huge, spanning nearly the entire wall of the ten foot long car. I sat in the first open seat I could find before Effie turned it on.

The reaping was fairly uneventful, until it came to District 4. A boy, who looked to be only 12, was called, but before he could even begin to walk up the stairs, Finn Odair practically leaped up them as he called out that he volunteered. I felt my heart rise up in my throat at the thought that I could very well have to kill him.

* * *

Once we leave the security of the cave I can feel all of my senses heightened. The sound of the snow compacting under our feet even scares me when we first get to it. Keetan's footsteps are much louder than my own, I don't exactly have a hunter's tread like my mom but I still don't stomp around like my dad, not like it's his fault, he has a prostetic.

The snow is duller today, if that is at all possible, the sun not totally up over the mountains yet. It's brighter than it was last night while I was keeping watch. I bunch the material around my chest to try and insulate some more of my body heat.

"Where did you see that brush yesterday?" Keetan asks looking at me from the side of his hood. I try to remember exactly where I had seen it and then turn swiftly, jogging over to it, so as to not waste any more time.

I quickly find the small amount of wood and we both grab it in about two arm fulls. Just as quickly as we arrived in the small book at the base of the mountain, we leave. I walk backwards using a large branch to partially obscure our foot prints. It doesn't erase our tracks completely but it'll help us not get tracked and/or killed by someone else.

Once in the cave again we begin to assemble the small torch, that we judge would last about an hour or two, and pass it to Finn.

"See you guys soon." He says smiling, although it doesn't fully reach his face.

I wrap my arms around him and a small tear escapes my eye that I quickly wipe away. I've known this man before me for as long as I can remember and now, he could easily die for no other reason than sick people's entertainment.

"Be safe," I whisper to him even though me telling him to be will make any difference. He wants to live for his mom, Annie, and all of the others he cares about.

"Don't worry, I will." He said, I let go of him and Keetan took my place, they shared an awkward 'man hug' before Finn makes a quick bit of fire to light the torch. "I'll be back in no time. We'll have all the water we'll need for these games." He said brightly.

I know that the odds of him dying are against him, that he'll die in the arena, but no matter how I try to convince myself that he'll be fine, I find some omnious feeling as he dissapears into the cave.

"He'll be fine. He's strong and smart." I whisper to myself trying to keep my mind from turning dark on me.

"Of course he will." Keetan whispered as well. We sit in silence in the opening of the cave keeping watch for not twenty minutes, that feel like an eternity to me, when I hear the thing I was afraid of. There is a large splash, that reverberates up the cave walls, and then an inhuman scream, followed closely by one I only wish I didn't recognize. Finn's cry of pain.

I jump up from my spot on the cave floor and start to run towards him when I feel a hand encircle my wrist, my first instinct is to fight back but I turn to see Keetan shaking his head back and forth. I realize that the splashing noises have subsided after I stood.

I lunge away again but just as my hand is out of his grip a cannon sounds in the distance. I scream out in anguish as Keetan grabs my waist and pulls me to him.

"He can't be gone. He just can't." I scream.

He was like my older brother, I looked up to him so much throughout my life and I can't help but feel as though I sort of caused his death in one way or another.

**If you are sort of pissed about that one then... well can't ruin anything, just remember that there are almost never any 'happy endings' in my stories! Hope you liked it! **

**If you read Taken Away I have a poll on my page concerning the sequel so if you could please vote to let me know what you think should happen. I'm open to both so... see you soon hopefully!**


	6. Chapter 6

I had know Finn ever since I was born. He was just like my older brother. Him and his mom had moved to twelve and he would be over at our house with his mom almost all the time. I wanted to be just like him, he was happy and intelligent and just one of the best type of person you could hope to meet. Him and my parents were the best, but I could tell that they were... broken. Their own games, and some other things they wouldn't fully divulge, ruined them. They have never been like other parents I've seen.

The others were almost always happy and joyful but they sometimes can't seem to get out of bed. Countless times I have seen my father fly into a rage and try to kill my mother. She sometimes can barely manage to get out of bed on the anniversary of the war. She told me why though many years ago. Her sister, my aunt, died in the last few days remaining of it because she was trying to help. All of us ended up in a crying heap on the floor.

Finn however was just like the average person. Happy and healthy. Normal, mainly he was just normal. All I ever really wanted to be. I would go to his house whenever my parents were getting out of hand. His house was calm and casual, what mine was, on a good day.

"What moron do I need to beat up now?" He would as me every time some guy would show any interest in me.

"No one!" Was always my response. He would argue with me for a while but finally decide not to attempt to kill anyone.

My mother tried to keep me from going out with anyone while I was under the age of 75 between her and my dad I would never get to see a boy in my life. Without him and Keetan to keep me grounded during most of my life I don't know what I would have done.

* * *

He can't be gone. He can't. He was the only thing I had left of my late husband. I feel the tears stream down my face as sit silently on my bed. I sit there for a few moments before I hear the door open slightly.

"Annie?" I hear a voice whispers to me. Footsteps pad along the floor towards me and the bed sinks a bit at the corner.

"Are you- how are- do you... I'm sorry." Katniss says to me. There was some sort of magical connection between the two of them so I know this won't be very easy on her. It's still not the same as how broken and desolate I feel, with a tiny inkling of hope that they somehow edited the games and just made that clip so that we'll have something to watch.

I look over to the television and see his body being plucked from the lake. There are so many cuts on his body, his coat is ripped so you can see the cuts still pouring blood from them, his skin hangs in tatters. My eyes blur the images on the screen and see nothing but all of the fond memories I remember from his childhood and at every age.

"They need you to go collect his body... So they can bury it accordingly." Peeta whispers somewhere to my left.

"No, I can't do that." I tell them shaking my head furiously. They don't understand. It's just like Finnick died again, this time taking my son with him. I have no one left for me but ghosts of my past. "He's gone again." I say as I feel both of their arms encircle me. Leaning to one side, I look up into Katniss's eyes. "You don't know what it's like. I've lost him twice. I can't do this." I whimper hoping that she'll see what I'm talking about and leave me alone.

"Who would have thought it all would have come back to this? The main thing we fought so hard to end has just been restarted." Katniss whispers. I move out of their grip, giving her a strange look. She hasn't lost a husband, a part of her, to the war for her son, the only piece of him living to be killed in these horrifying games. She senses what my eyes are accusing and shies away from my gaze.

"Can I just have a minute, please?" I ask them standing off the bed, walking over to the desk just across from it. It's on the desk that I see what I was hoping to, a way out.

"Don't do it, Annie." Peeta says sternly behind me as my hand finds the grip of the letter opener. "You don't want to do this. Things will get better, it may take a while but I PROMISE you it will." He tells me as I turn around to face them, holding the blade just over my heart.

"How do you know? You don't know what it possibly feels like right now, to feel like you're dying but not able to die. That your heart has been ripped from your chest and you can watch it beat in the enemy's hand, somehow pumping blood into your body." I scream at him. How dare he tell me that this horrid life I'm existing in is going to get better with time.

"Annie I know how you're feeling, maybe not to the fullest extent, but none the less, this isn't what they would want." He says taking my hand in his and moving the blade from where it hovers.

"No you don't. Leave me alone now." I scream at the top of my lungs. "Go!"

Katniss arises from the bed and comes to stand beside Peeta, taking his hand in her own. "Let's just sit down for a while, talk, there's no need to make any rash decisions." She says sounding level headed.

"You two first." I say pointing the blade at them. They comply and slowly back up to the bed until they're sitting on the very edge.

"Now you." Peeta says moving further along it.

"Katniss sing." I command pointing at her. I have no clue how insane I look right now but I don't really care.

She begins to sing a song I recognize from when she was in her first games. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow..." The moment she begins the next verse I plunge the letter opener into my heart. I feel the warmth of my own blood flow from the wound as I fall to the floor. Katniss and Peeta jump up from the bed and manage to catch me before I hit the floor.

Peeta lays my head in his lap and begins to stroke my hair at the top of my head. "Annie, why did you do that?" Katniss cries taking my hand with hers as she starts to cry.

"Sing," I order her feebly as I look at her blotched face. She continues the song several times as I feel the world shifting out of focus. I take the end of my death weapon and remove it from my chest.

The blood comes out faster now and it's only seconds before the bliss of death overtakes me. His icy hands take my own and lead me to eternity. Silently I say a swift goodbye to them and thank everyone in my life for it.

* * *

**Well I... hope you liked it. Just so you know I in no way condone suicide. Never attempted this, just so you all know... no way to end an author's note like this so... please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been a while hasn't it? I just hope this'll make for it!**

Finn and Annie were sent back to their 'home' district of four, as were all the other Victors and their children were sent back to the district that their parents or grandparents had won their games for. If any two Victors, from different districts, had children together, which I only knew of a few times, those who were of age were split up and sent with their parents to the district they were. The few couples that that happened to have this scenario occur to them there was an odd amount of children,in those cases the parents had three options, either put all the children in twice, once each district, or have one child sent to the Capitol for a lifetime service, our have the youngest of the ones of age killed right before their eyes.

That is what became of the great democracy our parents fought so hard for. The old system of government has come back into fruition, bringing death and destruction with it. i remember over-hearing something my dad said when he was trying to relax my mom after one of her many panic attacks, "...maybe this will be the time it sticks. We are witnessing, and have been for the last twenty years the evolution of the human race. Think about that not about the things you can't control." I was very young when I heard that and didn't realize what it actually meant. I didn't know about the war or what it was about. If only I had known.

I wish that it would have stuck, if not for all those affected by these games, and all the ones before, then for those who will yet again have to live in this horrid society. There have been so many times in my life that I've wanted to hide away from the world and wait to be woken up but none of them more than the day that our lives came crashing down on us.

* * *

It is shortly after Finnick's death and Annie's suicide and we were forced into a room with the other mentors. I still have blood on my hands, literally, from holding Annie as she died, when I looked up I saw President Martins seated at a high table, looking down at all of us. His hands are folded in front of him as he gives us a mirthless smirk. The room looks very similar to that of the balcony he, and all the president's before him, sat at during the tribute parade.

"As you very well know we are now down to the final 8, as there were 14 killed in the initial bloodbath and then another two just now. I believe that this is the most opportune time to unleash the weapon we have planned for this memorable year." He pauses for dramatic effect. "For each tribute from the districts we will be sending a mentor in to act as an assassin against other tributes. If you refuse to play along then we will have no other choice than to kill said tribute you are related to in a brutal and painful fashion." Yet another pause for what he said to sink in. "Okay well I'm going to let the assistant game-maker fill you all in on the other information." With that he turns his chair and walks out a door in the room.

From that same door walks in another man anyone could recognize in an instant.

"Peeta, is that who I think that is?" I ask pressing into his side.

"I don't think it's possible. He died." He replies as I look upon an identical twin of Finn. He struts out and replaces the president's seat at the high table before he begins to speak.

"I know what you may be thinking, 'didn't you just die?' Well to answer your question shortly, I am not Finn, nor am I Finnick. I am however yet another descendant of the famous Finnick Odair. I was not put into the reaping because I'm from the Capitol. If you have any more questions on the subject, feel free to speculate because I'm not going to tell you anything more than I just have. Now onto business " He says not taking a breath. " One of you for each tribute will be sent into the arena, corresponding with your district obviously. As you may notice there are no mentors from Districts 11, 13, 9, 5, 3, or 7. That would be because their tributes have already died, or in 13's case there were none in the first place. You will all be given your choice of weapon in the training gym. We all know that you will cooperate because if you don't, we will kill those you love."

The silence in the room is deafening as we stand there, too scared to even move.

"You will not be allowed to come into contact with any of the tributes, other than the ones you are sent to kill, and that will only be when you kill them. There is no warning to be given by them or your own tribute will be killed brutally and with no mercy. On the hovercraft you will be given your assigned tribute. I suggest you comply or you will not like the outcome. I guarantee you." He closes.

* * *

Today should rightfully be a day for mourning but with it being the games there is to be none of that. Moments after Finn's death a lone tribute strays into our cave, laden with several bags. I don't hesitate in the slightest to throw the spear we have into his heart. I didn't even flinch afterwards and that's what scares me, I've turned into a monster that I never wanted to be.

Keetan tried to calm me down afterwards but by that point I was just too far gone past the brink of insanity to really do much of anything but try not to kill myself right her and now. That thought of suicide just won't leave me alone, my death is imminent and I just want to be in control of this one last thing.

"You did what you had to." He says for the hundredth time tonight. "If you didn't we'd be dead."

"What if we should be? One if not both of us are going to die anyways, why not now?" I ask. He looks at me incredulously.

"Don't think like that." He tells me firmly grabbing my shoulders and holding me the furthest away he can. "Let's just try to get through today and then the next." He tells me simply. Maybe I can live a little longer. I owe the others to do so, don't I?

"I just don't want it to come down to the two of us..." I tell him honestly.

"We have a while before we have to worry about that." He says wistfully.

**Hope you all liked it! Though I won't know if you don't review, hint hint wink wink. Whatever lol I'll update sometime soon, until then!**


	8. Chapter 8

**_So sorry about not updating sooner! _**

While we're on the hovercraft several cameras appear out of a small room off of the center area. Several of them crowd around Peeta and me and instantly behind the flooding cameras comes several reporters who split into the direction of the camerasas well.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, how does it feel to have your child in the games this year?" One woman asks shoving a microphone in our faces. I take a step back so I'm practically behind Peeta. Lucky for me He takes the reins before I even have the opportunity to open my mouth.

"I think I feel just as all the others do about this, I'm, of course, frightened. Although I'm secretly hoping that these people will realize how horrible these games are once again and end them once and for all. Until then I'm just hoping that we won't lose anyone else close to us. Finn was a tragic loss, we are hoping better for the rest of these young tributes." He concludes with a bittersweet smile.

I remain stony faced for most of the small speech Peeta gives the cameras but I shed a single tear at the mention of Finn. He was like a second son to me and I'm going to miss him dearly, not to mention his mother who just killed herself.

"Katniss is there anything you would like to add?" Another person adds.

"I just hope that no more of our children will have to die for this. These other Victors are like brothers and sisters to the two of us. I would hate to have any other people lose a child in order for mine to survive." I say looking right into the camera.

There is a lengthy pause, filled with tension, before the cameraman speaks once again," Okay, I think that's good. It looks like you are going to be getting your assignments now."

I look across the room and see, who would have guessed, a clear glass bowl, with a small number of papers in it. There should be only eight, I hope Enobaria doesn't get Demer or Keetan's, or Ganan, Johanna's son, for that matter.

"Gather 'round, gather 'round! It's time to find out your assigned tribute!" An assertive voice bellows above the slight buzz in the room. Slowly, one by one, we make our way to form a circle around the bowl and wait for another moment. "So, you are to choose, if you pick a tribute from your own district then you will put back the name, once your assigned tribute is dead you will leave the arena, the same goes if the tribute, or tributes, from your district dies. Do you understand?" We all nod solemnly. "You may pick now."

One at a time we pick a name from and unfold the paper holding the vital information. Thalia Selkirk, she's from District... 6? I look over and see Peeta has drawn Agana Carri... I don't really know either of these two... I feel horrible for even thinking it, but it'll just make it easier to kill them. If I'm going to have to kill anyone, I'm just glad I don't know them or their families.

"Now, in case you want more information about your target that will be available shortly. You will now be escorted to one of the launch rooms to prepare for your release. Now if there are any questions, we will not be answering them, you should have voiced any earlier. Guards take them to the rooms." The leader of the group declares.

Silently we shuffle along the cold grey hallway to our respective rooms and are promptly locked in. Once inside mine I notice that these rooms are all exactly the same. There is no difference than when I, myself, was a tribute. There is a strange suit hanging on a rack.

It's a grey, paneled item that looks almost painful. I can't figure out how to put it on for a moment but then a guard peeks his head in says, "Just hold it up to you, it'll do the work."

I look quizzically at the door but do as he suggested. The moment I do so it begins to melt and transform around me, melting away like liquid, then reforming in a solid metal feel. Still confused I scan the suit that seems to have virtually disappeared on me, there's a hood so I pull it over my head then, I seemingly vanish. There is no trace of myself in this room. The man steps inside once again asks me to take off my hood. I do as I'm told and he connects a wire from inside the suit to a pair of glasses then putting them on my face.

"This will allow you to access any information available to those in the Capitol. Information, of course, that is pertinent to the arena." He informs me. I nod my head and then turn towards the tube as a voice informs us that there are 30 seconds before launch. "If you need it to do anything, just think what it is." He clips before I can even get a question out of my mouth. As I turn around in the tube to face him I only catch a brief glance before he's gone.

I _think_ to the suit, _Snow suit _and instantly it transforms into a thinner version of the tributes' attire. Just as if transforms the platform underneath me begins to move.

Just as it finishes changing the platform under me begins to move upward. I stand tall and unafraid on top of it as it reaches the top, even though inside I'm fighting the urge to run.

Once above I have only one thing in mind, _Find Thalia_. Even as I stare into the blinding snow, I'm on a mission.


	9. Chapter 9

**_I apologize for the wait on this chapter but here it it! I hope you like it! I'm hoping to have the next chapter for Far Away here in the next week or so._**

There is an announcement at about noon informing us that there has been a new addition to the games that will make this even more interesting. Between Keetan and I we have no clue what this addition is, other than it is very dangerous. I'm guessing that they released some sort of mutts but he argues that they wouldn't announce that. I think that they are just trying to scare us even more, but whatever the case may be we should be scared senseless.

"What's the plan for today? Lay low, we need food, desperately." Keetan complains. "The answer to our problem is not hiding out, we need to move and soon before we run out of our supplies."

"Well, if we go out..." he rolls his eyes and lets out an impatient breath. "Fine, we can go out but let's do it and make sure that the sun won't go down while we're out." I declare. The next few minutes is filled with silence, occasionally filled by the dripping in the cave and the rustling of objects against others. When I stand up I look to see him pulling a backpack over his shoulder and staring back at me.

We set out, very cautiously looking for other tributes, and our next meal. We hear footsteps near us and quickly hide behind a conveint snow bank. For several moments we wait for the person to pass but they stop right in front of us, kick some snow that lands on our heads, then continues on. We look at eachother, puzzled then peak over the top of the small hill. We can see footsteps leading off until they stop, there's no one there though so we're confused.

I look over at him and whisper, "Where'd they go?" He motions for me to be quiet as the footsteps continue, without anyone making them. We stare at them as they continue over a small hill, 'till we can't see them anymore, then continue staring for a little bit too long.

"That must be what the new surprise is." Keetan whispers. I shake my head incredulously.

"They may have quite a bit of technology but they can't just make people invisible, can they?" I ask the fear rising in my voice as I fight to keep it at a whisper.

"I think it's not the person nessisarily, but perhaps what they're wearing..." he pauses looking at the footprints, noticing that one is deeper than the other. "This one seems to have a slight limp." He moves away from the snow bank to study the footprints closer.

"Why would they send in someone with a limp?" I ask him moving so I'm beside him. He shakes his then turns around so fast I jump.

"Sorry, let's go, we need to find some food." He says as we begin to walk back along the path we were going in the first place.

After about an hour of walking we come across a small family of some type of rabbits, quickly we kill them, set traps for more on the way back, stopping half way back in order to not draw any attention to our cave.

Once inside I start a small fire with some wood we found close to us, in order to smoke the left over rabbit, while Keetan begins to skin the animals. Once he's done with that he calls out to me.

Quickly I get up and move over to where he sits at the opening of the cave. "What is it?" I ask looking around us, searching for the danger that must be present.

"Can you do this? I can barely skin the things." He mutters, embarresed.

"You don't know how or you can't stomach it?" I ask him.

"I just don't know how."

"Good," I declare, as I procede to show how to gut these animals, thankfully my mom showed me how to when we were training.

"Do you hear that?" Keetan asks, of course I hear it, two tributes are screaming at the top of their lungs somewhere near by, or that's what it sounds like, with this bowl we're in, they could be anywhere.

For a minute I just look at him and he stares back, finally he looks away and glance at what he appears to be studying. There is a slight rumble above us and I'm not sure what's causing it. He looks back at me with a worried look upon his face.

"That doesn't sound good." He mutters looking at the ceiling of the small cave.

"What is it?" I ask as I walk back to check on the fire.

"I don't know. I'll go check it out." He declares turning, dropping half of what he's carrying, and walking out of the cave opening. The moment he's out of our shelter he turns to the right to climb up the side of the mountain, in less than a second the soft rumble that was above us has now hit it's loudest roar. Along with the noise it brings snow, snow that itself could build a mountain. I run to the opening and try to spot where Keetan went but see nothing of my district partner. Within another second the snow piles up to the point that there is no seeing over it, even if I were to climb somehow. It blocked the entrance, there's no way out. I hear a cannon sound, and then another. I'm alone and now my partner is dead. I don't really have any time to grieve this loss either, because now I have to live for him, for my parents.

_**Please review!**_


	10. Chapter 10

Once we got into the city, both Keetan and I stared out our window, looking at the more muted buildings of the Capitol. The moment the train stops we're surrounded by adoring fans of my parents, it takes everything in me not to vomit.

They all wish the four of us luck as we move towards the prep center. I'm extremely nervous about what my stylist will put me in, I've seen some absolutely horrible costumes over the years of games and I hope that mine will think better than the others.

I'm not lucky at all, my stylist puts me in a so called 'miner's outfit' that hardly covers me. Rather than an full length shirt, I have one that cuts off about two to three inches above the bottoms of my ribs it has no straps or sleeves so I feel the need to pull it up constantly, my pants are actually shorts that sit low on my hips and stop just beneath my rear. I also have a helmet that my hair is all tucked into, other than some small strands near my face that they leave out. My 'work boots' are ultra high boots, that go at least six inches high. When I look at myself in the mirror and don't recognize the woman standing there.

Keetan's gotten off easily, since he's very muscular for our age, he's wearing an orange work vest that I've seen before even though no one ever wore one in the mine before it was shut down, though it's been reopened recently to provide for the capitol, now the men are all forced to wear them for their 'safety'. Along with that he has on loose jeans, that in any other circumstance I would find to be quite attractive.

My stylist runs after me and helps me put on a matching orange vest. I see my dad looking at me shaking his head, and speaking to my mom.

"Why would they put a teenage girl in that? Why would they put any girl in that?" He says, as I stumble my way over to the chariot. It takes both my dad and Keetan to get me onto it. "I'm going to have a serious talk with her stylist." He mutters turning away.

Within moments we're leaving, gliding along the filled city streets, our image is projected on a huge screen at the end of the parade. Finn, a few

* * *

Katniss POV

There are two cannons that sounds, one right after the other, and I'm filled with a sense of panic. Was that one of my tributes? My friends' children?

Quickly I search the information available to me and find that the two tributes killed were neither of twelve's but that Peeta's assigned tribute had in fact died. According to the information, they were both killed in a giant avalanche caused by their own shouting. While I'm on there I notice that I can watch clips of the games as they happen.

I stop, climb a tree and sit in it, turn my suit so it'll blend in, and catch up on what has happened since I entered the arena, a little over six hours ago.

Evidently the tribute that I'm hunting is near where we started off, and we've more than likely crossed paths since I started walking.

Demer and Keetan had both gotten scared by one of other assassins, Peeta, who had walked past them.

Keetan got trapped momentarily by the snow of the avalanche, but he miraculously survived. What worries me now is that Demer is now on her own, it's not like I don't think she's strong enough but, well she's just lost both of her allies in a day so this isn't looking very promising for her to be in the right mindset for this, especially with one of them having practically been her older brother, and the other being her best friend/boyfriend. She's trying to navigate in the dark of the cave to find a way out right now.

The light begins to fade in the arena, I'm not sure if it's the actual sun though, they can still mess with all of us in that way, so I take all necessary precautions before settling in for the night.

All the other assassins are going to be hunting tonight so I'll try to get my tribute when it's light out, surprise her with my suit.

Just before I get to sleep, the faces of dead tributes fill the sky. All I can think is that there are two more people killed by the games.

* * *

Demer POV

The cave is dark, there's only a slight glow being given of by the coals of the fire. I know I need to move but I have been sitting staring at the dying embers for several hours, and I have no clue where to start. I know that I don't want to go straight down, so I opt to go to the left, where I had seen another cave just to the side, the only reason we didn't go in was because from the outside it was far too small.

For hours I wander through the caves looking for any hint of daylight. After a while I begin to tire, so I set up camp in one of the smallest caves I can find, and get some much needed sleep. It's not the safest plan, to sleep alone in the games, but without any of my allies I'm forced to make the best of this situation.

I use the smallest of my three packs as a pillow, then use some of the mud from the floor to disguise my other two, and use them as a shield from the rest of the darkness.

Several hours later I'm woken by a groaning noise. I'm forced into a sitting position to get a look at who it is.

I move one of the packs and there, staring blankly is Finn, only it's not him, his skin is grey and his eyes unmoving.


	11. Chapter 11

_** so sorry it's taken this long to update but now that school's out I can type more in my free time.**_

Demer POV

For the longest few seconds of my life I stare at Finn's cold, unmoving, dead eyes. Although his skin is slashed, there is no sign of blood present. He's no longer wearing a coat like the ones all of the tributes are wearing, instead he's in a thin green shirt that allows me to see where his skin bulges out from the cut, and a pair of dark, damp, ripped jeans.

I grab my spear knowing that I will have to defend myself, but not really wanting to desecrate the body of my friend, even though it more than likely isn't actually him.

Just as I raise my hand he lunges forward and extends an arm toward me. Without so much as a second thought the spear in my hand has been thrown through his skull, causing a sickening amount of dark red blood to cover his face.

I'm startled when his body collapses on the floor of the cave but don't have very much time to think before I see movement from the corner of my eyes.

I lean down, pull the entrapped end free, grab my packs, and bolt from the cave opening.

* * *

Katniss POV

I wake with a start, followed by an uneasy feeling resting in my gut. Going with my first reaction, which would be to look around, I jump down from my current spot in the tree and pull up the recap of the games as I start walking towards where I last knew my tribute to be.

For the first few minutes nothing really catches my eye until I see Keetan battling with some mutts before taking shelter in a tree and my tribute out on the hunt for others.

About five minutes into my walk a clip interrupts my current segment and nearly stops my heart.

First it shows her brutally killing Finn, which makes me question the reality of it for a second before I hear the commenter explain to the audience at home that it was a clone of the dead body, just like all the other human mutts are in the games. Just as he's done explaining this to the folks at home, I see a dozen or so other of these human mutts appear just behind her as she runs to the exit of the cave into the early morning light.

She continues running in a straight line after she gets out and in the second of clarity I see a sight that chills my bones, one of the other mutts looks exactly like Rizon, Demer's best friend since she was born.

As the light hits her, the skin exposed by the tattered clothes erupts in small flames, causing Demer who glanced behind her, to shriek.

"Am I a good girl on fire, just like your mother? Would you like to join me?" Rizon's voice asks. This only makes her scream louder and run faster. She takes a quick right and continues to run out in the open.

"You're not real. It's not her. Not real, not real." She chants almost silently to herself as she continues too run for her life.

The mutts are slowing down since they're igniting, hindering their abilities to chase after her and all I can do is hope that she keeps going in her direction and will run into Keetan who isn't that far away from her.

Right now all I want to do is sweep in and save her from any danger in this horrible place, but I know better, with the new president we'd be dead before I got her ten feet.

* * *

Keetan POV

I hear running footsteps pound into the snow and hide as quickly as I can. It's after I'm safely hidden in a spot I don't think anyone will see me that I dare look.

When I peak around the large rock to my side I see someone running for dear life, then I recognize her, no one else runs quite like Demer and I'm so very thankful that I can somehow manage to recognize this in her, otherwise I would most likely never meet up with her again. I look beyond her to try to see what she's running from but don't see anything. She glances to the side and runs into the cave and sits down less than three feet from me.

Her body tenses up as her eyes sweep past the wall and land on me.

"Who's there?" She whispers in the dark of the cave standing and gripping the spear in her hand.

"Demer it's me." I move towards her slightly but stop when she stands and starts to run. "It's me."

"Is it really you? Go stand in the sun I don't t trust you." She demands. Backing into the cave some.

"Fine... I don't really understand but okay..." I start moving away from her and stand in full view of the sun.

"Take off your hood."

"Why?"

"Just do it." I relent and she quickly walks over to me pulls my hood up then we both go back into the cave.

"How are you alive? I thought you died..." She trails off as I take her face in my hands to quiet her. "You're not..."

"I'm alive and I'm here, nothing else matters. We're just going to get along and get through this." I pull her to my chest where she rests her head for a moment. I hear her say something but she has to repeat it for me to hear.

"I had to kill him again." The sobs echo slightly in the cave as I attempt to console her. "I killed my two best friends." She was absolutely beside herself with grief and I felt powerless to stop it.

"It doesn't matter, you're alive and so am I."

If only it could stay that way forever.


	12. Chapter 12

_**This chapter is going to be essentially the interviews because it'll take up a**_** while. Also the main reason this wasn't up Thursday as I planned was because I had less than three hours at my house because of swim practice, girl scout camp, and my swim meet then I had to pack for Pennsylvania. I've been insanely busy here with the sight and sound Noah thing I saw two days ago, going to Gettysburg yesterday, seeing all the stuff battlegrounds, the museum, and visiting family.**

**So enough excuses, on with the story!**

* * *

I never knew just how much went into the preparations for the interviews, I don't know why I thought you just woke up whenever you wanted, did nothing for most of the day, then got ready an hour beforehand, but Idid. So, needless to say, when I was woken up at close to four in the morning I was far more than shocked to see my team standing over my head.

That just started my day of splendidly so when I tried to sit up way too fast and hit heads with one of the girls on my pep team that I haven't bothered to remember the name of I wasn't to surprised that this wasn't going to be a good day.

The entire time they were working on me they talked amongst each other, and occasionally threw some questions out at me. Like when they asked what my favorite food was here in the Capitol, or when they asked if my mother and father had chased off all my possible suitors. Being the morning person I am I answered the questions with as few words as possible.

* * *

Finally at six, after hours of getting prepped, the stylist helps me into my dress. It's a soft, pastel pink for the main section that clings to my skin until it reaches mid-thigh where it flares out in a rainbow of other pastel colors. My shoes are skin tone and are not nearly as high as the ones I wore for the opening ceremonies.

I look in the mirror and don't recognize the person looking back at me. Her hair is half up half down, with little ringlets spilling down just before my ear. The colors of the dress is making my tan stand out more than it did before. Comparing this much more subdued outfit to the first one I wore here in the Capitol and I get the feeling that my dad had a talk with my stylist.

I go into the main area to find Keetan and my parents talking to each other. In some ways Keetan matches me but only with subtle hints of the pink on his tire and vest. The black of his suit makes him look dark and almost sort of dangerous. I suppose that his team was going for the 'bad boy' look.

"Hello there, do you have any idea where my daughter is? I've been looking for her for the last few minutes but haven't seen her anywhere." My dad jokes coming over to me and hugging me. "How are you doing? Do you remember what you're supposed to do?" He asks pulling my seat from him to hold me an arm's length away

"Honey, I'm sure she does, she'll do fine. It'll be hard not to love her, she got your charm you know." My mother says pulling my dad away.

"You're a downright comedian, I think Setis managed to get every talent from you two, let's just hope they feel bad for little miss awkward." I roll my eyes.

"Don't you believe that for a second, now no more of this talk, we have to get you two down to the platform for your interviews. Do you remember what we told you in the sessions?" We both nod in her direction, "then this week be no problem for you." My mother tells me hugging me too.

* * *

"Now please, welcome to the stage; Demer Mellark!" Caesar exclaims, pointing towards where I'm to come on stage.

I know they prepared me for days for this very moment but I'm petrified that whatever I say will cost my allies and me sponcers, I don't want them to die because I'm done bumbling idiot who can't do anything right.

I stumble up the stairs like the clutz I am, forcing the guards stationed at the bottom to help me up and then unceremoniously shove me forward, making me almost loose my balance and faceplate on the stage.

"Well here she comes, how are you doing, you certainly look amazing. Don't you think so? I think so." Caesar asks and the crowd goes wild.

"You look older than in those videos my parents showed me, although you still look remarkable for an... wait I don't even know how old you are. Let me guess, 150 give or take a few years?" I ask him and the crowd starts laughing.

"No, I'm not nearly that old yet, but enough about me. I've heard some rumors about you having a boyfriend? I'm surprised that your parents have let boys anywhere near you."

"Oh trust me it was interesting when he first met them. I thought for sure mom was gonna have the now and her sites out, but she didn't, she held off on that till he came to pick me up for our first date." Before I know it the buzzer has gone off and I'm escorted to the back of the stage, Caesar looks mildly disappointed that I never told him the name of my boyfriend, but Keetan and I agreed that he would share that.

In a similar fashion, Keetan is introduced, brought up on stage and interviewed. Caesar asks him all sorts of questions about his family since they aren't famous like the victors are.

"Well I have the typical family, nice mom, happy dad, and then there are my crazy siblings. Gaia is twelve and as girly as possible, Sama my brother who's 9 is very tricky, likes to pull pranks on all if us, and then there's little Chas wood only two, ask I can really say about him is that he's absolutely adorable." The crowd just eats him up and I find myself laughing alongside them as he talks about several of the pranks.

When Caesar finally gets around to asking him what is like to be around my parents he tells them about how we've been saying for the past four years and the gaps are audible from the crowd.

"Well it appears we have two more star crossed lovers this year. I wish you the very best of luck."


End file.
